Wednesday, February 01, 2017

MAN: GOD’S BIGGEST PROBLEM

As the Holy Book says, it all started when God made man and
thereafter made woman so that together they complemented/completed one another
and supposedly stayed happy together their whole life through. The trouble was that their Creator gave them
not only the mind to know but also the will to decide. So it came to pass that together as well they
defiled their own Maker precisely by going against the clear and expressed
injunction of the Latter. They did
precisely what they were told not to do.
They did exactly what they were told to avoid doing. And instead of taking the blame for their own
misdeed, lo and behold, they pointed at something else – the evil spirit – as the
one responsible for their misdeed by precisely asking them to do something forbidden
by their own Creator. Hence, at fault
they alleged they were not. They simply
did what they were told by the evil one and wherefore they incurred no
guilt. And since then up to these times
in particular, man has become God’s biggest problem – instead of being His
pride and honor, rather than His joy and consolation. No wonder then that to this date, man is a
big question mark. Why?

Why does he listen
to what the evil spirit says instead of doing what his own Maker tells him to
do or abstain from doing? Why does he trample upon and hurt others
instead of helping and serving them? Why does he deceive and steal from other
people rather than sweat it out to live honestly by his own industry and labor? Why
does he feed on the weak and the poor, the ignorant and helpless rather than
help them stand on their own two feet to live with dignity and honor? Why does
he take advantage of the children and
women by using them for pleasure and/or for business. Why does
he side with the potentates contra the
helpless, cavort with the powerful to cover up their own misdeeds and even advance their own malevolent
interests? Why does he enjoy having
people killed any time of the day, any day of the week, for one reason or
another?

There must be something wrong with man as to the way he
thinks, he feels, he acts. No wonder
then that these days, there is open as well as covert bloody terrorism, there
are mortal explosives planted here and there, there are even on-going downright
deadly warfare here and there. In fact,
there are countries whose main agenda is to develop more and more destructive
weaponries, to build their big and
strong armies, to prepare for war wherever and whenever such would come about –
an inhuman venture that kills anybody in any possible way, that destroys
anything and everything possible that is on its way. This is not to mention the infamous
dehumanizing invention, the so-called “Martial
Law” where human rights there are none, where guns are above reason, where
death s a matter of course.

But then, God keeps His patience towards man, keeps loving
him although unlovable at times.
Reasons: He made him, giving him the mind to know the truth and the will
to do what is good. He therefore finds
it hard not to love man and to care for him. He knows that there is always hope
that man will not only know better but
will also do better in the course of time.
But then, it is also right and proper to note that there are more good
people than bad individuals, more lovable persons than hateful ones. So it is that God keeps loving humanity in
general, some detestable ones notwithstanding – such as those who love
killings, enjoy cursing, who listen to but themselves, who in fact think and
feel as if they are gods of some sort and who wherefore behave as if they are
the saviors of the world!

Oscar Cruz

About The Blogger

Most Reverend Oscar V. Cruz, D.D. is the Archbishop-Emeritus of Lingayen-Dagupan. He is currently the Judicial Vicar of the National Tribunal of Appeals. He is a prolific writer, having published several dozen books mostly on judicial and moral matters. His most recent book is about the Social Doctrines of the Church. He also has a blog where he posts regularly. He is an avid coin collector and dabbles in woodworking art.